What Hurts the Most
by youllneverknow28
Summary: Bella is a new teacher in Forks. After an incident, she is wary of getting close with anyone, let alone the hot teacher across the hallway. Full summary inside. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Prologue

**Summary: Bella, the new teacher in Forks, has a dark past. She has just gotten out of a roller coaster relationship, and she isn't looking for anyone to fill the void that was left. Edward, tired of his sister's meddling, has sworn off dating. What happens when the two teachers across the hall from each other are attracted to one another in ways they can't deny? Will Edward be what Bella needs to heal? Or will her dark past take control of her life?**_** AH, M for later chapters, deals with assault.**_

**A/N: Why hello, my dears. This is my first fanfiction! I got the idea for this as I was sitting in class the other day watching a movie. Please tell me what you like, what you don't like, etc.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. SM owns everything. Lucky bitch. :]**

He looked wildly at the door, not saying a word after hearing the knocking that interrupted his terrible and unthinkable actions.

"Bella! Bella, please, I'm sorry, okay? I just… I don't know what to say." My heart leapt to my throat. The man in front of me smiled wickedly.

"Oh, this will be so much fun," he said as he took his shirt off. I'm sure he wanted to give the wrong impression to my angel. "Now, are you going to say anything while I talk to _him_?" I shook my head quickly. "I don't believe you. I'm sorry for this," he said as the side of his hand hit my throat. It wasn't hard enough to hurt me, but enough to make my eyes water and leave me breathless. I couldn't make a sound, no matter how hard I tried. He walked away from me, opening the door.

"Who the hell are you?" my beautiful angel's voice asked.

"I'm James, Bella's boyfriend." My eyes widened in shock. _Oh no. Oh no, oh no. Please don't believe him, Edward._

"Don't lie. You guys broke up. I've been seeing Bella for the past month."

"Yes, well. When you went and made her cry, she called me to her side. I guess she likes me more, huh?" I caught a glance of Edward's face in the crack of the door. His face remained stoic to the regular eye, but I saw the hurt on it.

"I suppose so," Edward said in a defeated tone. "Let me talk to her for a minute, just to apologize. Then, I'll never bother her or you again."

"I don't think that's possible. She's quite upset." I started getting my breath and voice back. I was testing it by humming a soft sound. I was please when one came through.

"Please, James."

"No, I don't think that can happen," he said as he started to close the door. I took a deep breath. "I'll tell her that you came by, and if she – " he was cut off by my loud scream, muffled by the sock. He spun around, flaring at me, and clearly forgetting that Edward was in the doorway. I heard his gasp, and then an angry growl as he saw me. He punched James in the chin and rushed toward me.

"Bella, Bella baby, I'm so sorry. I'll get you out of here and away from him, I promise. Please, please forgive me. I – " I screamed again as James came barreling toward us. He shoved Edward out of the way and started at me.

"You. Stupid. Bitch. You. Mess. Up. Everything," he said through clenched teeth while hitting me with each word. The last four words were accompanied with blows to my head, and I felt myself losing consciousness. There was a fight beside me, but I couldn't see anything. The edge of my vision began to blur. I heard someone hit the ground and groan. A figure stood over me, and I succumbed to the darkness, not having any fight in me anymore.

**This is the prologue to my story. Please, tell me if you have any suggestions to make my writing better. I'm not going to be one of those pain in the ass writers who hold out chapters because there aren't any reviews. However, I do get busy with school sometimes, especially since it is my senior year.**

**Thank you very much for reading and reviewing (if you do). If you just read… well, still thank you! :]**

**This was edited and updated 7-6-10.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Twilight belongs to SM. I wish I owned it, but I don't. I do, however, own an iPod Touch that I'm pretty much addicted to.**

I strolled down the streets in my blue stilettos, noticing the glances I was getting. My brown hair flew behind me, waving in the wind. I knew exactly what was going through everyone's thoughts. '_Why is a girl in designer clothes and wearing heels in a small town like Forks?_' I was new in town, having just moved here three days ago. I, Miss Bella Swan, was a new teacher at Forks High School. Moving from Seattle to this small town was a major change for me. I had always lived in a big city with my mother, Renee. My father, Charlie, lived here in Forks, which is why I applied for the teaching job. They must have been desperate, because they hired me without a person – to – person interview. I guess being the Police Chief's daughter had a perk, after all.

I walked into the small store that held all the school supplies I needed. Since school started in a week, I decided it was time to get some important, basic classroom items, like pens, paper, and whiteboard markers. I breathed in the smell of the paper and ink as soon as I stepped in, seeing that the supply store doubled as a bookstore.

"Hi! My name is Alice. Is there anything – Oh. My. God. Your shoes! So cute!" A girl squealed. I looked up from my list only to look down at her. She was extremely small, almost like a pixie, with short black hair and deep blue eyes. Her face was smattered with freckles and she wore a giant smile on her face. She looked like she was 16. "I love them! But why are you wearing heels just walking in town? Especially such nice ones. You should be protecting those!"

I laughed. "Thank you! These are my walking heels. I'm a major klutz, but I walk better in heels, believe it or not. I've spent hours training myself. I could trip over air without heels. I'm Bella, by the way."

"Are you new? Or just stopping in? I've never seen you in Forks before, and I've lived here my whole life."

"Yeah, I just moved here a few days ago from Seattle."

"Really? What brings you to Forks?"

"Alice! Stop being social and get to work!" a blonde woman who had just popped her head out of a back room said. "You know we have stuff to do." She looked at me. "Oh. Who are you?"

"I'm Bella. Just moved here. I'm the new teacher at the high school, so I stopped by to get some supplies."

"Oh! Hi! Sorry, I thought you were one of Alice's friends. Even though she's in _college_, she seems to think people can drop in during work. I'm Rosalie, by the way," the woman said. She stepped out and I got a full view of her body. She was even more gorgeous. Her body was exactly the opposite of Alice. Where Alice was short, Rosalie was tall, about 5'10". She could be a model with her body. She had a perfect hourglass figure, and I'm positive she made guys drool over her. I felt plain and boring next to her. "What supplies do you need?"

"Oh, you know. Just the normal things. Pens, paper, pencils, Expo markers, and tissues. Stuff like that."

"I see. Alice will help you. I'm sorry in advance for her insane talkativeness. It's always lie she's on a caffeine buzz. Let me know if you need anything else," she said as she retreated to what I assumed was her office. I smiled and waved a goodbye.

"You said you're a new teacher at Forks High? My brother teaches there. He's the music teacher and the football coach. My boyfriend works there, too. He teaches history and coaches basketball. What are you going to teach?" Alice asked as she led me around the store.

"Physics. I love the subject and decided I wanted to get other students to love it as much as me. It was that or English, and I don't enjoy reading shitty essays too much," I laughed.

"Totally understandable. What are you wearing for the first day? You need to give those students a look that makes you cool and a major TILF, but that you won't take any shit from those miscreants."

"TILF?"

"Teacher I'd Like to Fuck. Come on, Bella, get with the program," she mock-scolded with sparkling eyes.

"Sorry. Guess I'm not doing too well on the whole 'cool teacher' thing so far. I don't think I'll have too much of a problem with the whole TILF thing, though."

"And why the hell not?"

"I'm too plain, Alice," I said, stating the obvious. "It's whatever, though. Better to have their attention than to have them daydreaming about me," I shuddered. I couldn't have my students thinking inappropriately about me. I couldn't have anyone thinking about me that way, especially at this time. I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart.

"You're such a liar! Trust me; you have TILF written all over you. Right Rose?" Alice screamed.

"What?" Rosalie asked when her head popped out once again from the back room.

"Isn't Bella going to be a major TILF?"

"Fuck, yes! You're going to knock them all down. There will be some very dirty thoughts going on in their heads about you."

"Please don't say that," I said as I squeezed my eyes shut. The flickers behind my eyes caused me to wince.

"Bella? Are you okay?" Alice asked me softly.

"Can I get some water? Please? And a pen and paper?" I choked out as I felt the panic start to overtake me.

"Yeah, of course. Come over here and sit down," Rose said as she sat me down and thrust a pen and paper at me.

I took a sip of the water that Alice had brought to me and closed my eyes while picking up the pen. My hand started scribbling, my choice of therapy when I panicked. As soon as the pen dropped from my hand, my eyes flew open to see the two women staring down at me, worry etched into every detail of their faces. I looked down at my drawing and groaned. I had drawn a very familiar eye and wrote the word 'gone' over and over all across the page. I stood up despite protests from Alice and Rosalie, and then walked out of the store. I pulled a lighter out of my pocket and lit the paper on fire, watching it spread. When it was fully burned, I returned back into the store.

"Bella? Are you… okay?" Rose asked, repeating Alice's earlier question.

"I am now. Thank you."

"What… happened?" Alice questioned in a small voice.

"Please, I can't talk about it. Don't make me," I whispered.

"Of course we won't." An awkward silence fell.

"Get my mind off of what just happened, please," I begged.

"You never answered my earlier question," Alice piped up after a second.

"What? I said I was fine," I protested with a confused tone.

"No, silly. What are you wearing for the first day?"

"Oh, right. I'm planning on wearing a gray pencil skirt, short sleeve blue ruffled top, and black peep toe heels. Sound okay?"

"Perfect! Hair?" Alice squealed. I'm sure even dogs were deaf now because of her high pitch.

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that yet. I suppose in a curly ponytail or just down and curly." Alice studied me.

"Curly ponytail. It'd look more professional. Plus, my brother loves necks."

"What? What does your brother –"

"Oh, for Christ's sake, Alice, stop trying to set your brother up with someone. She just moved here! I'm sure she's not looking for anyone to date right now, anyway. She might not even be single!"

"I'm single. But, no, I'm not dating anybody for a while. At least," I said quietly, wincing again. They obviously took notice.

"Alice, help Bella find the rest of what she needs. Then we need to close up early. Emmett comes home today. For good," Rose almost yelled in excitement. It was the most emotion I had seen from her.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry for keeping you. I can come back tomorrow if you want to close up now," I offered.

"No, no, no, it's fine. I promise," Rose smiled. Alice led me to the back where the paper and the pens were kept.

"Who's Emmett?" I whispered.

"Rose's fiancée. He was in the army, fighting in Iraq. He got shot, right above the heart and almost died. He also tried to save one of his friends, and he did. The army let him go with a Purple Heart. Rose was so scared when she heard Emmett was hurt. I've never, ever seen her like that before. She just sat there in shock until she heard he was okay. She's so excited he's coming back. They've been together since high school, and they were supposed to get married this past summer, but he got deployed. She was devastated on the day the wedding was supposed to be taking place."

"Oh, that's so sad! He's okay from being shot, though?"

"Yeah. When Rose and Em talked for the first time, she was so scared, but also… mad in a way? Not really _mad_, per se, but she yelled at him for scaring her. The big oaf told her, "Babe, you know I'd never let anyone but you take my heart" and she burst into tears. Poor guy didn't know what he had done. She yelled at him again to never scare her like that again. He promised he wouldn't and that when he got back, he would make sure Rose had the wedding of her dreams."

"Aww, he sounds so perfect!" I sighed.

"Back off, Bella. He's mine," Rose laughed as she walked out of her office. I had finished paying by this time and was just chatting with Alice. We moved to the door to leave.

"Don't worry, Rose. I wouldn't _dream_ of taking anyone's man away from them."

"Good, 'cause then I'd have to put you on my hit list."

"Hey, Bella. Do you want to go out to dinner or something tonight? I know we just met, but I have a good feeling about you," Alice explained excitedly, interrupting Rose and I.

"How about tomorrow? I'm still getting settled in and all."

"Perfect!" Alice beamed. "There's this awesome restaurant in Port Angeles that we can go to. It's a really little bar, but they have the best greasy burgers."

"Sounds good. Should I just meet you here, around 7? Then I can follow you there."

"No, silly Bella! I'll be picking you up from your house!"

"Are you sure? You don't have to do that, you know," I said in a rushed voice.

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine! I'll even get Jasper, my boyfriend, to come! Rose, invite Emmett to come, too. It'll be his 'Welcome Home' meal. And you know Angela will be delighted to see her most dedicated customer back."

"Okay! He'd love that," Rose smiled.

"Wait, won't I be like a fifth wheel?"

"Nope. Edward, my brother, always comes, and it's fine. We're not all lovey-dovey in public. We're just like a big family. We practically are, anyway. Jasper is Rose's brother, and Emmett's my cousin."

"Way to go, dating in the family," I laughed. Rose was starting to get fidgety near the passenger door, her anticipation of seeing Emmett growing. "I'll let you guys go get Emmett. I can see that it's killing Rose. Thanks for all the help! I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

"Wait! Bella! What's your number?"

"369-4205. Why?" I heard my phone's ringtone blaring from my pocket for a second, and then it shut off. I opened it to see one missed call. As I looked at the number, Alice spoke up.

"Now you have my number, and I have yours. Text me your address so I can know where to pick you up tomorrow! See you later!" Alice said through the car window as they drove away.

I walked back to my apartment, putting all of my new school supplies in a box by the door of things that needed to be taken in to my room. My stomach growled at me, and I realized how hungry I was for the first time. How had I not noticed the hunger pains in my stomach before this? I suppose it didn't help that I had skipped lunch. I went into my kitchen and threw a bag of popcorn in the microwave to help hold the hunger off as I decided what to cook for dinner that night. I chose to make breaded chicken and rice – simple but delicious. The phone rang in the middle of dinner, causing me to wipe my mouth with a napkin before answering.

"Hey Ch – Dad," I said, seeing the caller ID before answering.

"Hey, Bells. What are you doing?"

"Eating dinner," I said slowly. "Why?"

"Oh, I wanted to ask if you wanted to go to the diner. You've been here for a few days already, and I haven't had a chance to see my little girl. Avoiding your old man?" he laughed.

"No, of course not. I've just been busy getting settled in, Dad. I've been meaning to talk to you. I just… I don't know where the past three days have gone."

"It's fine, Bella. I should remember how long it takes to move into a new home. What about tomorrow night? Dinner at the diner?" I bit my lip.

"I can't, I'm sorry. I'm going out with some people to Port Angeles for dinner. I can cancel, though."

"No, it's fine. Who were you going out with?"

"The two girls from the shop in town that sells school supplies and stuff. Alice and Rosalie. Oh, and Alice's boyfriend, Jasper, and Rose's fiancé, Emmett, were supposed to go, too. But, Dad, seriously, I'll cancel."

"Edward wasn't going?" Charlie sounded surprised. I was surprised myself.

"You know them?"

"Bells, it's Forks. Everyone knows everyone. I take it Emmett's back from the war, then? I heard he got hurt."

"Yeah. The two girls were going to pick him up from the airport as I was leaving their shop. I'm cancelling with them, though. We'll go out to eat at the diner tomorrow. Okay? Just you and me," I smiled to myself.

"If you're sure. Whatever you want."

"Thanks, Dad." There was an awkward silence. "Well… I have to clean up from dinner and then finish unpacking everything. When do you want to meet tomorrow at the diner?"

"Is 7:30 okay for you?"

"Yep, it's perfect. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Night. Make sure to lock your door."

"Alright, Dad," I said as I rolled my eyes up to the ceiling. "Night." We both hung up, and I stood up to clean my plate. After I finished cleaning the kitchen, I decided to shoot a text to Alice to let her know the plans had changed.

_hey alice. its bella. i… cant go tomorrow. going to dinner with dad instead. havent seen him since i got here so… doing that. want to get together another day though? mani/pedi?_

Alice responded quickly to my text.

_sure thats fine! i know the perfect place! ill txt you the details later!_

I smiled, glad that she had taken my cancelling so well.

_thats fine :] sorry to cancel on you :[ have fun with everyone else tho!_

Alice texted back quickly saying that it was alright with her and that she understood. I sat down on my couch, too lazy to actually unpack, as I had told Charlie I would do. I threw in a disk of LOST, engrossing myself in the mystery of the island. As much as I hated this show and it's stupid, annoying, mysterious plot lines, I couldn't get enough of it. I must have dozed off sometime in one of the episodes, because the next thing I knew, it was three in the morning, and I was lying down on my couch. I picked myself up, turned off the TV and DVD player, and carried myself to bed, falling asleep right again within two minutes of lying down.

**A/N: So… sorry this update took so long. As much as I'd like to be one of those authors that can write every day and update within, like, 3 or 4 days of a chapter, I can't. I've had 3 projects due this past week, and another this week that I've been working on. On top of that, I visited a college last weekend, so that kept me busy. Scholarship shit is keeping me on my toes as well. *sigh* Oh, the joys of being a high school senior.**

**The college I visited was KU (University of Kansas, not Kentucky as I've been asked by many people who live here.) It was… awesome. The campus is beautiful, the town is so cozy, and there's just a **_**spirit**_** in the school's atmosphere. I'm thinking seriously about going there. I'm just worried about leaving my family. I live in Western New York, so it's pretty far away. I have friends out there but… not the same. Does anyone have any experience with being far away for college? Want to tell me about it? I'll love you forever :]**

**Hopefully the next update comes sooner! I'll be writing as much as I can :]**

**Reviews make me happy. But I'm not going to beg. If you DO choose to review, it doesn't need to be a long review. Even a simple "good story. update." or a "you suck, stop writing" is criticism enough for me. :] If you DO have any tips, though, please share them so that my story is more… enjoyable (?) for the people reading. :]**

**Oh, and P.S. Thanks for the reviews/alerts! Unfortunately, I do most of my email from my iPod, so responding has been... hard. My computer had a virus, too, so I wasn't really allowed anywhere near it for a while. I kept having to take my mom's laptop hostage, and then I'd get in trouble. I'll do better to respond to reviews for this chapter, I promise! Pinky swear.**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, so, so sorry about the long wait. I've been really busy with school, scholarship stuff, more scholarship stuff, college stuff, homework, friend drama, stupid guy drama, etc. Plus, I've been in a really shitty mood lately. I couldn't write anything for the life of me. I'm so sorry. I will try to update sooner next time, I promise.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. It all belongs to S.M. Except for the Transformers notebook I write in before typing the story. :]**

As I woke up the next morning to a heavy rainfall, I was extremely groggy. I struggled to open my eyes, closing them and stretching my body in my bed. My legs were tangled in the comforter covering my body that was keeping me warm and cozy. I didn't want to leave the comfortable confines of my bed, even though I knew I needed to. I rolled out of bed, wincing slightly when my bare feet hit the cold floor. I grabbed a sweatshirt bearing my college's name out of my laundry basket, slipped it on, and grabbed my laptop on my way to the kitchen. I desperately craved waffles for breakfast, but since I didn't have mix – as well as not knowing where my waffle iron _was, _exactly – I settled for a bagel with cream cheese. The laptop booted up while I spread the cream cheese. Once it was done, I carried both the laptop and the bagel to my table, then going back to my fridge and poured myself a glass of apple juice.

I was so thankful I got Wi-Fi so quickly at my apartment. Living without Internet is too hard. I checked my e-mail and saw that I had an e-mail from Renee. It was just a general question e-mail – How's Forks? Did your move go okay? How's Charlie? – so I answered her with as much detail as possible. She was worried about me living on my own, I knew this. I reassured her that I was fine, and then gave her a description of my apartment and the town. She was either in Florida with her husband and my step-father, Phil, or she was on the road with him. He was a minor league baseball player, and this was his last year playing. He still had such a passion for the game, but he was getting too old and too "worn down," according to him. He really was good for Renee. Where she was free-spirited and flighty, Phil was like the calm of her storm. After responding to her, I did a search of things to do on the first day of school. Although I had studied teaching thoroughly in college, I was still nervous – especially about teaching students that were so close to my own age. I was worried that they wouldn't take me seriously.

After turning my laptop off and cleaning my kitchen after breakfast, I went to take a shower. As I walked out of the kitchen, I got a shiver of excitement. It had finally hit me. This was _my_ kitchen, _my_ living, _my_ apartment. I was finally on my own. I had never imagined this day actually happening. Of course, like every other teenager and college student, I thought about it, but I never actually pictured it happening – me being an independent adult.

I stood in the shower until the water turned cold. It was what I did unless I was in an absolute rush. Once again, I thought about the fact that I really was on my own now. I was brought out of my musings by looking at the time on the clock. I gasped at how late it was. My plans for the day had been to go to my classroom at the school so I could set up the room as I pleased, as well as organizing my desk. I dried my hair, got dressed in skinny jeans, a long sleeve white t-shirt, and a pair of black converse, then drove to school with my handy box of school supplies. The parking lot was nearly empty when I arrived, allowing me to park in the first row. I walked into the school, and then the front office, where I went to get my room information and key. The woman in the room looked up at me with a confused look on her face. I walked to her desk while smiling.

"Hello," I greeted while looking at her name tag. "Mrs. Cope. I'm Bella Swan. The new Physics teacher? I'm here to pick up my key and room information."

"Oh! Of course, Ms. Swan. I should've realized who you were. You're the only new teacher this year, of course. We're happy to have you here with us this year. The Chief has said so many good things about you. He's so happy that you're here in Forks."

"Thank you," I said while smiling. "I'm excited to be here."

"Here's your key and information. You should be getting your class lists in the mail either today or tomorrow. You have two classes, and our other science teacher, Mr. Banner, has one, along with a Biology class and a Chemistry class. To even it out, you have been assigned a study hall that you need to oversee every day. We're very happy to have you with us here and Forks High, Ms. Swan."

"Please, Mrs. Cope, we're co-workers. Call me Bella," I smiled. She laughed in response.

"Alright, but only if you call me by my first name."

"And what is that?"

"Beatrice."

"Really?" I asked, my nose automatically scrunching up at the old styled name.

"No," she laughed, "it's Jill."

"Alright," I said, smiling again. "I'll see you later!" I shouted as I walked out of the door. The halls were completely empty, decorations welcoming students to a new year not yet hung on the walls. The generic lockers and water fountains gave me a comforting feel. The box I was carrying grew heavy and dug into my hip as I reached my classroom. A shiver ran through me once more that day. _My_ apartment, _my_ classroom. My future was becoming so real that I still couldn't believe it.

I spent the next two hours making the room the way I pictured it, with the desks now arranged in rows of two desks pushed together, side by side. I made the seating chart using numbers for the kids, deciding that I would randomly number the student's names when I got the list. There was nothing I could do about the study hall. I figured the kids would be allowed to come and go with passes, so they could sit wherever they wanted for the first day, but if it turned out to be too much after a few days, I would seat them how I saw fit or alphabetically. I looked around the room once more and made sure everything was how I liked it. Satisfied, I backed out of the door, closing it and locking it. As I turned to leave, I ran into a figure. The person dropped the boxes they were carrying. Both of us fell to the floor, a result of losing our balances.

"Oh my God! I'm so, so sorry! Are you okay?" I asked nervously.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Not hurt or anything," a male voice responded. A blonde haired man stood up and offered his hand to help me up. I couldn't grab it, though. I pushed myself off the floor. "Are you the new teacher? I haven't seen you here before."

"Yeah. I'm the new Physics teacher. Bella Swan," I said as _I_ stuck out my hand. I could deal with that.

"Mike Newton. Nice to meet you. Are you all done here?"

"Yeah. I didn't really have much to do, honestly. Need some help carrying those boxes to your room?"

"Can you lift them? They probably weigh more than you," he teased.

"Hey, it's all in the legs. Didn't you ever hear not to lift with your arms and back? It's bad for you," I laughed as I lifted a box off the ground.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Thanks, though," he replied while lifting the other two boxes. We made small talk until we reached his room. I learned that he was a history teacher and had grown up in Forks. His parents were the owners of the sporting goods store I had passed on my way into town. He was supposed to have taken over it, but he decided to be a teacher instead. "So, do you like Forks so far?"

"Well, I've only lived here for a few days, but it's been good so far. It's very different from the big cities I'm used to living in, but I like it so far. Everyone knows everyone else, though, and I feel like I'm a little bit of an outsider. I'm sure I'll get over that soon enough, though. Everybody I've met has been so nice. I can't imagine meeting someone who'll be rude or anything to me."

"Well, then, you've been very lucky. There are some people who are a bit… cold towards new people. But I'm sure they'll warm up to you soon enough," Mike paused, looking like he was trying to word what he wanted to say right. "I know that you just met me, but would you like to go to dinner with me tonight? I can show you where we all hang out in Port Angeles if you want me to do that for you. That was you have somewhere to go instead of just being at home all the time by yourself, you know?"

"Oh. Uh… thank you, but I'm supposed to go to dinner with my dad. I haven't seen him since I moved here three days ago, and I promised him I would. Maybe some other time before the school year starts, though?" He got a hopeful gleam in his eye, and I realized I'd have to be sure that he knew I wasn't looking for anybody specific to occupy my time. "It'll be nice to have a friend around here to back me up when I get to be the new teacher the students take advantage of." His face fell a little at my words, but then he went back to his happier face.

"Don't worry. You'll have them sorted out in no time. You just have to be sure you show confidence, that you're not scared of them. You'll do fine, I promise."

"Thanks, Mike. Listen, I've got to get going. I have to do some shopping before I go out with Charlie."

"Oh, do you want to give me your number so we can meet up?"

"Sure." I repeated my new number that I had given Alice the day before. "I'll see you later," I said as I walked away. As I walked out of the main door, I said goodbye to Mrs. Cope as well. She waved to me in reply, as she was busy talking on the phone.

My trip to the grocery store was short. I grabbed the basic essentials and some meat and cheese from the deli section. My stomach rumbled as I stood there, so I grabbed a sandwich as well. I got home and put everything away. As I stood in my kitchen, I realized I had absolutely nothing more to do. I had emptied all my boxes, cleaned the house, and gotten everything ready for the first day of school. I decided to call up Alice.

"Bella?" Alice answered after the third ring in a confused voice.

"Hey, Alice. Yeah, it's Bella. Listen, I'm… I don't have anything to do for the rest of the week besides dinner tonight with my dad. Well, I'm supposed to meet up with another teacher from school, Mike Something, and he wants to show me around Port Angeles."

"Mike Newton? Blonde, looks like a happy puppy?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"Bella, Bella, Bella, you silly girl! You can do so much better than him! We're going to Port Angeles tomorrow. Me, Rose, and Emmett. My brother and Jasper are going camping, seeing as how it's the last weekend they can. You should come with us. It'll be fun. We're just going to a bar."

"I'll go if I can have dibs on designated driver."

"You don't want to drink?" Alice asked in a very shocked tone.

"No, I'd rather stay sober, to be perfectly honest with you."

"Well, alright then. Emmett's not going to complain. I'll make sure he doesn't bring his massive Jeep. You won't be able to touch the gas pedal," she laughed.

"Thanks, Alice. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself for the next few days. I suppose get lesson plans together, but that can only keep me occupied for so long."

"Well, school starts Tuesday, right?"

"Yeah. The day after Labor Day."

"We're going to a spa on Saturday. Hair, nails, waxes… you should come with us."

"Waxes? I don't need a wax, Alice."

"You can just get your eyebrows done, then. It's no big deal. Consider it my 'Welcome to Forks' gift to you. And before you say that I don't need to do it, relax. I want to do it. I have enough money that I can spoil my friends. Oh God, that sounds bitchy. I'm not, though, I swear."

"I know Alice," I laughed. "But…"

"No 'buts', Bella. You're coming with us," she said with conviction in her voice.

"Thank you," I said gratefully. We talked about little things until I looked at the clock and realized I had 15 minutes until I was supposed to meet Charlie at the diner. "Shit! Alice, I'll talk to you later. I gotta go meet Charlie." I hung up after hearing her say goodbye to me. I rushed to my car, starting it as I pulled my seatbelt on. I raced to the diner quickly as I glanced at the clock every few seconds. I pulled into the diner, seeing Charlie's cruiser in a parking spot already. I ran into the diner, colliding with a man on my way in.

"I'm sor – Charlie! Dad, I mean!" I said as I gave him a hug. I pulled back to look at him. His dark brown hair was starting to get gray flecks scattered in it, as well as his mustache that I had never seen him without. We had the same brown eyes, and they sparkled with happiness as he stared down at me, his 'baby girl', for the first time in… ages.

"Hey, Bells. You didn't speed here, did you? You whipped into the parking lot pretty quickly."

"No, I would never speed, you know that," I said as I mentally crossed my fingers behind my back. "I guess I was just so excited to get here that I didn't slow down enough for the parking lot. Don't worry, Dad, it's fine." We walked into the diner and got seated almost immediately. Charlie had a steak burger, which the waitress wrote down before he even said what he wanted. I guess he was a regular here. She waited for me to choose what I wanted.

"Can I have a chocolate milkshake and a stack of buttermilk pancakes?" I asked hopefully. She nodded her head, wrote down the order, and went to put it in.

"Pancakes? You do know this is dinner, right?" Charlie laughed at me in his gruff voice.

"Yes, I do. I just… I've been craving them, okay? They sound delicious." Charlie and I made small talk for the rest of the time we were in the diner. When we finished, he insisted on paying the bill and wouldn't let me hear of anything else. He hugged me goodbye as we left, and I hopped into my car and drove home. For the second night in a row, bored, I popped in a movie. When it was over, I once again dragged myself to my bed and fell asleep quickly.

**I know. Shitty ending, easy escape route ending, shorter than wanted, etc. I just feel uber guilty for making you all wait this long, and it's 11:34 as I'm typing this. I have school tomorrow, and I'm exhausted as it is. Please, please forgive me. I **_**swear**_** I'll update sooner and better next time.**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: So… I'm going to assume you guys hate me for waiting for so long to update? Seeing as how the last chapter got 165 hits and only 1 review? And it was from a friend? :[ I know I said I wouldn't beg for reviews, but I really would appreciate you guys saying what I'm doing wrong, what you like, etc. so I can fix whatever I am doing wrong and give you more of what you like. :] Please don't hate me for the epically long wait on this one, either.**

**This chapter is uber long. Take it as my 'sorry' to you.**

**On a happier, less stressful note, I'm looking for a beta, so… if you know of anyone that could help, or you yourself want to help, PM me please. :D**

**I have more information on why it took so long and other stuff at the bottom so… please read that when you're done. :]**

**And now – on to the story!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Everything belongs to S.M. The plot is mine. I'm just borrowing her lovely characters. :]**

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I woke up from my slumber already bored with the day. I decided to work out for a change in my routine. I changed into a pair of shorts, a sports bra, and tennis shoes, then threw my hair into a ponytail. Grabbing a bottle of water from my fridge and my iPod from the kitchen counter, I decided to go on a short run to get a head start on the new work-out plan I had promised myself I would do this year. The road I lived on was very curvy and it took a lot of my concentration in order to not fall off the road into the ditch that ran beside me. After the short run, I went home and decided to keep with the working out I was suddenly in the mood for.

Digging around all the boxes in my new apartment that I had yet to unpack probably made a bigger mess than it was worth, but I finally found my yoga equipment. I laid the cushioning mat and square block on the ground of my living room as I popped the DVD into the player and turned on the television. When I had finished the hour-long workout, it was already past one in the afternoon. I was exhausted from my workout and not sleeping well the night before, so I decided to take a quick nap before starting to get ready for the night. Unfortunately, my 'quick nap' turned into a two and a half hour nap. I woke up to the sound of banging on my apartment door.

Apparently, Alice was too excited to wait for me to meet her and Rose at their store, like we had planned the night before, because she was standing in my doorway. To say that I was extremely confused would be an understatement.

"Alice?" I asked with disbelief laced into my voice.

"Hi, Bella! We're going to get you all ready for tonight. I skipped out of work to help you get ready," she squealed while walking into my apartment with a little bounce in her step.

"But… how did you know I live here? I never texted you my address since we didn't go out the other night."

"Bella, please. I did some thinking. There's been one apartment open for ages in Forks, and you just moved here. Where else would you be?"

"Oh. Right. Well… do you want anything to drink? I don't have much. Water, juice, Pepsi? Anything?"

"Water's fine. Show me to your room."

"Alice, we're not leaving for another, like, three hours. What's the rush?" I laughed as I pulled a bottle of water from my fridge.

"We have to get you ready! It's not just a bar we're going to. It's also a dance club."

"I hate to tell you this but, uh, I don't really dance. It's not the best choice for the coordination-impaired."

"Which is why we're putting you in heels," she explained. I didn't see how that would help me with my dancing-impaired self. "Oh, come one, Bell, don't give me that look. I don't want to see it. You said so yourself that you walk better in heels than without. What's the difference with dancing?"

"Because I _can't_ dance. Even in heels. I've tried. Please don't make me."

"You're dancing. That's it. Rose and I will keep you safe. Even Emmett will, if you ask. He's a big teddy bear."

"Fine. But I'm still being sober the entire night."

"Sure, sure. Now go take a fast shower. We'll get you ready and then you can come to my house while I get ready. Hurry, go, go!" she said as she pushed me forcefully into the adjoining bathroom. "I'll pick out your clothes while you get showered. Don't worry, I won't make you dress in anything too skanky. You'll look fabulous when I'm done with you!" Alice sang in delight. I locked to door to my bathroom to avoid any intrusions from her and stepped into the shower after stripping out of my clothes. As I rinsed the shampoo from my hair, there was a loud banging on the door.

"What do you want, Alice?" I yelled over the water. I couldn't hear her response. "What?" I shouted louder.

"Where. The. Hell. Are. Your. Non. Granny. Panties?" Alice shouted over the shower in a stunned voice, pronouncing each word carefully.

"I don't have granny panties!"

"Bella, that's a lie. You have exactly one thong, all boy shorts, and boring as fuck bras! And none of them are even push up! Jesus Christ. We're going shopping. You're also the same bra size as me, so you're borrowing one of my bras tonight."

"Alice," I groaned as I applied the conditioner into my hair. "It's really not necessary. I can't just _take_ a bra of yours!"

"Sure you can. It's not like it's old and gross. I just got it, like, two weeks ago. Trust me, you'll look awesome. Now hurry up!" I shaved my legs quickly and rinsed the soap off my body, as well as the conditioner out of my hair. The fluffy green towel that was hanging on the towel rack was now wrapped around my body. I opened the door, releasing the steam from the small bathroom as I muttered in annoyance.

"Goddamn you, you fucking pixie," I said lowly.

"Did you just call me a _pixie_?" she asked incredulously. Her eyes were bigger than I'd ever see them, and her mouth was open in the shape of an 'O'. "A _pixie_?"

"You've seriously never been called that? How? You're fucking short and you're a ball of never ending energy. I bet everyone calls you that behind your back. Oh, come on, Alice. Close your mouth. It's not that bad of a term. It's endearing, really. Now get me all beautified, stat." She numbly handed me the apparent one thong I owned, along with a pair of skinny jeans and a black semi see through tank top. The top made me nervous.

"The bra is black. It's fine. Put it on," she demanded. I made her turn around as I changed in the room. Standing next to her, I felt so plain and boring, so I didn't want to feel like I was judging myself next to her. Plus, I didn't exactly feel like suffocating in the still steam filled bathroom. I caught her peeking as I dropped the towel once I had pulled my underwear on. Next to her, I felt extremely self conscious and didn't want her seeing my body. "Alice!"

"Oh, relax. You have an awesome bod. It's not that big of a deal." She waited for me to pull my clothes on. "Jesus. Fine, I'll turn back around. You need to get used to me seeing you mostly naked, though. You're my new Barbie," she said as she smiled happily. I groaned in response but slipped on the clothes for her. She turned around when she heard that I was finished rustling with the clothes and smiled.

"See? Awesome bod. You look hot. Better yet, your boobs will look amazing when you have my bra on. Now, Bella, we have a problem. In that lovely closet of yours, I didn't see one pair of shoes. So where the fuck are they? Huh?"

"Jesus Christ, calm down. I keep them under my bed. What kind are you looking for to go with this outfit for tonight?"

"What do you have that's red or black? You're using the red clutch, by the way," Alice informed me while tossing said clutch at my head.

"God, Alice, give someone a little warning, would you?" I grumbled as I pulled out two pairs of heels. "Here are the choices from this box," I said, pulling out two pairs of shoes. One was a pair of solid black stilettos and the other was a pair of black leather heeled boots. Alice looked at them, studying the shoes as if they could help her pass a test.

"Maybe the boots. What else do you have?"

"Uh…" I mumbled while pulling out the second box from under my bed. "I have this pair of pointed red heels," I said, holding one up. Alice shook her head no quickly. I agreed with her on it. The shoes were too bright to go with the outfit. "There's this pair of red and black cheetah heels?" The red wasn't nearly as bright as the previous pair, and the smile that instantly lit up Alice's face made me realize that this was the pair to wear. I slipped them on and grew 3 inches, which caused me to tower over Alice even more. She grinned widely as she ordered me back into the bathroom so she could do my hair.

"Alice, I'm perfectly capable of doing my own hair, thank you. I'll just dry it and we can go."

"Absolutely not! Now, where's your mousse…" she muttered as her voice trailed off.

"I don't really, uh, have any." Alice's head popped out of my bathroom's cupboard.

"What did you say?"

"I don't have any mousse?"

"God, Bella, why didn't you tell me before?" She glared at my hair. "Come on, let's go. Grab your makeup. We're going to my house to do your hair. No mousse, no do." I did as she said, grabbing my small bag of makeup, my cell phone, debit card, and the small clutch Alice had chosen for me. Shoving everything in as I walked to Alice's tiny yellow car, I wondered what tonight would be like.

Of course, growing up and living in a big city my whole life, I had gone to clubs with my friends during college. I knew what they were like. However, Port Angeles was clearly _not_ a big city. While it had several thousand more residents than Forks, that wasn't saying much, seeing as how Forks had less than 3,500 people living there. I knew that it wouldn't be the same as a club in Chicago or Seattle.

"Alice?" I asked her, hoping to break the silence of the car. The outside scenery was gorgeous to look at, of course, with its massive trees and millions of bushes; it was like a child had taken a mesh of green crayons and decided to color the picture just that color. I couldn't even see the sky or the dirt under all the plants.

"Hmm?" She answered as she concentrated on the long, winding road we were now driving on.

"What's the place we're going to like? I know it's not like Seattle or something, but it at least, like, has a dance floor and everything right? It's not just a little shitty bar with a made up dance floor?"

"Yes, of course! You didn't think we'd take you to some small town, cheap bar with you dressed like that, now did you? Please, Bella, have a little faith. It might not be as fancy as some of the clubs in Seattle, but it's definitely worth the time to get there. By the way, Miss Designated Driver, Rose is bringing her car for you to use tonight. I promised I wouldn't let Emmett bring his Jeep, and he won't fit in this car, even if he sits in the front. Are you going to be okay driving someone else's car?"

"Yeah, absolutely. I have this old truck, and you, me, and Rose could barely fit in it ourselves. It's not stick shift, right?"

"Ah… that's a good question. I'm pretty sure it's not, but… shit. Call Rose and ask. My phone is in my purse in the side pocket behind me." I reached around to the extremely small backseat to find said purse. I pulled out a phone from the side pocket, just like Alice said to do, and turned it over in my hand.

"You have the iPhone? You lucky bitch," I muttered as I called Rose from her phone.

"Hey, Alice! Did you take our little Bellaboo hostage yet? Or is she being good and cooperating with the evil makeover queen?" Rose answered in her angelic, soft voice. I could almost see her smiling.

"Bellaboo, Rose? What the hell kind of nickname is that?"

"Bella! Alice took you hostage and you're driving to her house right now, right?"

"How did you know?"

"What hair or make up product did you not have at your house?" She laughed almost sympathetically.

"I was missing mousse."

"How'd that fly over with her?"

"She kidnapped me and is taking me to her house with my hair still wet, remember? How do you think she took it?" I growled. "Fucking pushy pixie."

"Oh my God! You didn't call her a pixie to her face, did you?"

"Seeing as how I'm in the same tiny car as her and she's glaring at my use of the word, I'd say yes."

"Way to ruin everyone else's private joke. The one thing she didn't know about, and now she does." I could practically hear Rose pouting through the phone. "Now we have to come up with a new secret."

"I told you they called you pixie behind your back," I hissed at her.

"Rose! You did not!" Alice wailed.

"Oh, God, Bella, do you know what you've just done?"

"Sorry. Maybe you should've thought about that before letting her kidnap me. Now I get to be the one to suffer from her wrath. You'll get your fair share later, though," I laughed mock-evilly.

"You suck. Truly, you do."

"Oh well. This call did have a purpose, though. The car you're bringing isn't a stick shift, right?"

"No way. Only my babies are stick shifts and nobody but me touches them, and I mean _nobody_. Ever."

"Ok, good. Driving stick would suck. What time will you be here?"

"Well, PA is a little over an hour away so… 7:30-ish. Bitches best be ready, or we'll leave without you. Not really, but you'll get chewed out by Emmett. He loves this place. And with him _finally_ being home, he wants, to quote him, 'All the dry humping time he can get with the love of his life.' Unquote."

"Tell Mr. Army Man that I said to get some dry humping in before we go dancing. While I'm sure you guys make the attractive couple, not everyone in the world would enjoy a little show from the two of you." I heard Rose talking to someone in the background, followed by a loud, boisterous laugh.

"That was Emmett. I just picked him up from the airport. We're driving home now, so, unfortunately, we cannot participate in much dry humping before going out. Sorry, you're outta luck there, hun."

Alice grabbed the phone out of my hand as we pulled up to a garage and said into the phone, "Rose, we gotta stop the chit-chatting now. We're at my house, and I still have a lot of work to do. We'll see you at 7:30." She closed it, as well as her car door, before coming to my side of the car and grabbing my arm. We stomped, or more like Alice stomped while I stumbled behind her, to her house and entered into the kitchen. It had a cozy feeling and made me feel like I was at home. As the door shut behind us, a man walked into the kitchen with a suitcase.

"Jasper!" Alice cried out, letting go of my arm to run into the arms of the man. He dropped his suitcase and embraced her. "I thought you would already be gone!"

"Edward got caught up in something. I'm going to his house in a few minutes, though. I decided I'd stay for a little longer to say goodbye to you," he said softly to her. I was surprised to hear the southern drawl come from his mouth.

"Aww, babe. Thanks," she said as she gazed lovingly into his eyes. I felt like I was intruding in on something only they should see, but at the same time, I didn't want to miss out on seeing such a strong love. "Oh, Jazz, this is Bella. She just moved here a few days ago. She's going to be the new Physics teacher at the high school."

"Hello, Bella. I teach history there, as well," Jasper said as he walked toward me, sticking his hand out for me to shake. I stepped back instinctively. I saw his brows furrow together, but it was quickly gone as he slowed his pace. I took a deep breath and stuck my hand out to meet his. He gripped it firmly, but not in an intimidating way. I looked more closely at him. He had piercing blue eyes and long, wavy blonde hair. I could see the resemblance between Jasper and Rosalie. While her eyes were darker, they had the same shape to them. The hair was nearly the exact same shade, as well. There were several scars on his face that made him look intimidating, but he shot me a smile that instantly made me feel comfortable to be around him.

"Hey, Jasper. Alice told me how you teach history and you coach a sport there, too. Basketball? Or was it baseball…" I trailed off, trying to remember what she had actually said. He laughed.

"Yes, I coach basketball in the winter season."

"I'll have to remember that," I said as I smiled.

"Babe, as much as I love you, you need to get going so you and Edward don't get to the camping site too late. Bella and I have to finish getting ready, anyway."

"Did she rope you into going out with her?" He joked while she crossed her arms and huffed.

"'Fraid so. She was appalled at my lack of mousse in my house, so I got dragged here. I don't think she minds too much, though, seeing as how she gets to see you off," I said while winking at her. "I'll go find your bathroom upstairs, Alice."

"Thanks." She smiled gratefully at me. I could tell that she was happy I was giving her alone time with her man before he left for the weekend. "It's upstairs, first door on the left."

"Okay, thanks. Have fun camping this weekend, Jasper."

"Thank you, Bella, I intend to. Take care of Alice for me, please."

"I'll make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble," I said, winking at him.

"I will not get in any trouble, thank you very much," Alice grumbled as Jasper pulled her into a tight embrace. I left the room and waited for Alice to come back up. She came up looking extremely sad and wiping a tear away.

"Aw, Alice, it's only three days. You'll be fine, I promise. We're going out tonight, and then we're getting pedicures Sunday, remember?"

"Yes, I remember," she said as she smiled weakly at me. "I just love him so much that it hurts to be away from him." She sighed sadly and then looked at me again. "Okay, stop me from being depressed. We have a fun night to get ready for!"

I let Alice have her fun with my hair until she had to get ready herself. She showered quickly and got dressed in a bright pink dress and black heels. She handed me the bra she had been talking about earlier, and she was right. It fit perfectly, and I couldn't see it through the shirt. She finished her hair and makeup just as Rose pulled up to the house, honking her horn loudly.

"Come on, Bella, let's go!" She said, pulling my body along with her. I sighed while grabbing my clutch off the bathroom counter and went downstairs to meet Rose at the door, along with Emmett. I opened the door to see the biggest body I had ever seen in my life.

"Hi, Bella!" the body exclaimed as picking me up in a hug. _Too much contact, too much contact, too much contact!_ my mind screamed at me as I tried to escape the grasp.

"Emmett!" I heard Rose yell at him before he dropped me and I collapsed, trying to regain my ability to breathe. "I told you to take it easy," she said, sounding like a mother scolding her child.

"You okay, Bella?" I heard Alice asking me softly. I looked up to see her squatting down in front of me.

"Yeah. Just… too much, too fast."

"Sorry, Bella. I'm Emmett," the massive man said as he helped me back to my feet. "I'm a very huggy-type person. You'll learn that about me soon," he joked as his dark brown eyes twinkled. I looked at him and Alice standing next to one another.

"You guys are related?" I blurted out without thinking. Alice laughed a twinkling laugh.

"Yes, we are. I don't really know how I got stuck with this monster of a brother," she joked.

"Or how I got stuck with a midget of a sister."

"I'm not a midget," she objected loudly.

"You're four foot, ten, Alice. You're legally a midget," Rose reminded her. Alice huffed once more at being the subject of all the teasing.

"Whatever. Details, details. Come on, if we want to make it there at a decent time, we have to leave now." We all agreed and walked to the car. I got in the driver's seat, with Alice in shotgun, leaving Rose and Emmett in the back.

"Now, please no dry humping back there. No distracting the driver," I joked. Everyone laughed as we pulled out of Alice's driveway, starting our hour-long drive to Port Angeles.

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**So… here's the story. I wanted to update this earlier, but the week of April 5****th****-6****th****, I was basically on the brink of a breakdown. I found out I can go to KU and get in state tuition if I move back there before a certain date because I used to live there so we've been trying to get that all sorted out. Then I had a paper due Friday (the 9****th****) when I thought it wasn't due until the 16****th**** and I freaked out and skipped school to do that. I haven't been sleeping well on top of all the stress which resulted in me napping Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Wednesday was the worst day. I had a breakdown in lunch and started crying over the littlest thing. It wasn't even that big of a deal but I couldn't deal with it at the time. So… sorry this didn't come out sooner. Other projects and more lovely college stuff have decided to take up the rest of my time. Can this school year just be over with already?**

**If you're a junior in high school and reading this – senior year is a bitch. Make sure you stay on top of everything and don't procrastinate on anything. I'm speaking from experience. On top of everything I mentioned above, the quarter ended Friday (the 9****th****), and I am the **_**worst**_** procrastinator, so of course I left all my Physics labs until last minute to do, as well as 3 or 4 homework assignments. Agh. And there's been another project for English I had this week, along with a massive Calculus packet. Again, I've had it for a month, but I left it until last minute. Seriously… procrastination fails.**

**I'm not going to make any promises that I'll update sooner next time, because I did that last time and it took longer. Honestly, until I'm done with my college classes and school, I don't see myself having much time to update. I will **_**try**_** to update sooner, though. No promises, though. I be sorry. Forgive me?**


	5. Just A Warning

Very sorry to be doing this, but I'm warning you in advance – I'm very, very busy the next few weeks with AP exams, my senior project coming to a close, and getting my college classes all finished. Like I said last chapter, though, I will try my best to update as soon as I possibly can. Thank you for the reviews and alerts, as well as favorite story adds.

I just didn't want anybody to expect a chapter, say, Monday or anything. Part of my senior project is due Friday, I have a presentation for one of my college classes Monday, my AP Calculus exam is the 5th, my final presentation for my other college class is on the 6th, my AP Physics exam is the 10th, my senior project presentation is on the 13th, and then I have a final paper due the 14th for one of those classes. So I will be swamped in all of that _plus_ regular homework. Once college is done, it will be a load off my back, as well as those AP exams being done. Wish me luck with everything!

Once again, thank you for the reviews/alerts/favorite adds. I appreciate them so much, and they make my day much better. :]

--Rachel


	6. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello everyone! I'm back from the dead. My first college class presentation went fabulous, I actually feel ok about my AP Calc exam, and my second college class presentation, while short, went well. AP Physics was… well… ok that was a bitch. Senior project presentation went well, even though I was really nervous, and I got my paper done on time. Now that my college classes are done, I get out of high school at either 10:45 AM or 12:45 PM every day.**

**Calculus will be much easier since I don't have the AP exam to worry about anymore, and my teacher already said that we won't be doing much in class. Physics will be way easier. I still have the Regents exam for that, but after the AP exam, it'll be a breeze. Seriously, though, the AP was a bitch. Ugh. 4 hours of torture. I couldn't even finish a whole Part Two question. Oh well.**

**Anyway. Once June 28****th**** hits, I'll be able to update WAY faster than I have been. I'm moving to Kansas for 7 weeks and… really, I have no idea what I'm going to do to keep me busy. The mall in the town is shit, and it's in the middle of nowhere. So I'll probably be on my laptop that I'm getting graduation a bunch. :)**

**Thank you for all the reviews, story alerts, and favorite story adds. I appreciate them like no other. So seriously? I heart you when you do this. :)**

**Sorry for the majorly long A/N. Last thing – I'm looking for a beta. Anyone know how to get me some help with that? :) Again, I'll love you forever.**

**Now that the epically long A/N is over, here we go!**

**Disclaimer: All belongs to the great S. Meyer. I own nothing except for the plot. We all wish we owned it. Unfortunately, we can't. Oh well.**

The car ride to Port Angeles was filled with laughter and singing along to the radio loudly and obnoxiously. Emmett's booming voice didn't help. I quickly got over my fear of the massive hunk of muscle and fell in love with his humor. It seemed as though he was constantly joking around and couldn't be taken seriously. During the drive, though, when he wasn't joking around, I caught glimpses of Rose and Emmett looking lovingly at each other. While she still scolded him like a mother in the car, she looked up at him with such a strong love and adoration; it was like I could feel it from my seat in the front. He had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, and she leaned into him as if their bodies were made to fit each other. Alice and I chatted in the front while we let the two love birds in the back become acquainted with one another. Well… more like Alice played 20 questions with me, and I answered whatever she asked me.

"Favorite movie?"

"Hmm… The Day After Tomorrow, I guess. I have a soft spot for Jake Gyllenhaal. The effects are awesome, too."

"Favorite band?"

"Linkin Park. They can go from screamo-ish to soft and really meaningful lyrics. I love them so much."

"Favorite thing to do when you're alone?"

"Oh, no. I'm not telling you that."

"Do we have a little dirty girl on our hands?" Alice asked slyly. I saw Emmett's head pop up slightly as he took interest in our conversation.

"Oh, God no, Alice. It's just embarrassing."

"Bella, come on, you can tell us!" she persisted.

"Fine. I usually just read, write, or curl up on the couch and watch Lost. I have all the seasons available on DVD, and no matter how much I watch it, I can't figure a damn thing out."

"How is that embarrassing?"

"I don't know. It's just really nerdy, I guess."

"Bella. I clean the bathroom when I'm home alone. It calms me. Reading, writing, and watching Lost automatically make you infinitely cooler than me," Rose piped up from the back seat.

"Yeah, but you're infinitely more gorgeous than me, so you win." The silence in the car unnerved me. "What?"

"Bella, don't you ever say that again. You're amazingly gorgeous. Believe me," Rose said strongly.

"Maybe if by gorgeous you mean plain. Look at me and look at you. Compared to you, I'm like boxed mac and cheese compared to a steak."

"Bella. Yes, my fiancée is gorgeous, but so are you. You don't have the obvious beauty, but you have… something. It's like your soul is beautiful and people can see it. I did the second I met you," Emmett piped up.

"Are you saying I don't have a beautiful soul, babe?" Rose mock pouted.

"Of course you do, hon," he replied, nuzzling his nose into her hair before reverently kissing her head.

"This serious talk is making my party mood go way down. Bella, we are not finished with this discussion, but for now we have to crank up the tunes! We gotta get ready for our night out! It's supposed to be a fun night, remember? And you're going to eat a greasy burger, listen to music, dance, and have some fun with us. I demand that it happens," Alice said. It was impossible to be down when she said things like that. I knew it was true. Tonight was not about having a deep heart-to-heart discussion. We were going to have fun. Alice grabbed my iPod, plugged it into the car, and blasted some Lady Gaga as we drove down the highway.

We arrived in Port Angeles by 8:45 due to Alice's persistance that I speed the whole way there. It went against my raising as a police chief's daughter, but I relented and let go for the first time in a long while. We pulled into the packed parking lot of the bar and dance club Alice insisted on going to. I had to drive around for a couple minutes to find a decent parking spot that wasn't in the grass or far away from the door. With the possibility of the girls being wasted in the next few hours, and possibly Emmett, since I knew I wouldn't be able to support him if he got too drunk, I didn't want to deal with having to drag them to the car in their inebriated states.

The four of us entered the packed bar and waited until a table opened, then grabbed one quickly before anyone else could. A waitress came up to us a few minutes later asking what we would like to start with. I chose a simple ginger ale, Emmett chose a beer, and the girls chose cosmos, along with an appetizer choice of loaded potato skins. Everyone assured me I couldn't leave here without trying at least one, and when I did, I would fall in love with them. When the waitress came back to give us our drinks and take our orders, I ordered a bacon burger at the insistence of everyone at the table. They said that it was a "rite of passage" to have my first burger from here be a bacon burger. Then, as Emmett put it, I could "move on to bigger and better burgers."

They told the truth about everything. The potato skins were a heavenly blend of cheese, bacon, and tomatoes. The bacon burger, loaded with cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and, as much as I was scared to have them on the burger, fried onion rings, was an amazing blend of flavors and I couldn't help letting out a moan when I tasted it. The waitress brought over a beer for me near the end of meal, saying a man at the bar had paid for it. I looked to who she was pointing at and gasped.

"Bella? Is something wrong?" Alice asked.

"I think I know him," I explained quietly while sneaking another glance at him. He caught me looking this time, and his face broke into a wide smile, revealing bright white teeth. The russet color of his skin set them off even more. His brown eyes twinkled knowingly, and he turned his head back around to the bar. "I do know him! I'll be right back." I jumped up from my seat and made my way over to him.

"Did you not appreciate the drink?" he asked when I reached him.

"Jacob Black? Is that you?" I asked incredulously. I couldn't believe my childhood friend was sitting here, right next to me.

"Sure is, Bells." I laughed and threw my arms around him, surprising not only him, but also myself. "How've you been? I haven't seen you since… God, your junior year of high school? Right? What are you doing back this way? I thought you went to Florida or something to live with your mom."

"I'm good, how about you? I just finished college and I moved back here to be closer to Charlie and so I could teach at Forks High School." _And to escape reality._ "How about you? You were only a little freshman in La Push when I left. You cut your hair and got all buff when I left? I bet you were fending off all the ladies, weren't you?"

"Ah, not quite. That didn't happen until college. I'm still in La Push. Own my own car shop, doing what I do best, you know? Teaching, huh? I never thought you'd be a teacher. Figured you'd be more of an author or something. What are you teaching?"

"Physics. I almost went the whole writing route, but then decided not to. Congratulations on your car business! You know I'll be there if I ever need your services. How's Billy doing?"

"As good as he can. Still in the wheelchair from the accident. But he hangs in there, doesn't let anything stop him, just as always."

"Be sure to tell him I said 'hi,' okay? I can't believe I ran into you here."

"What _are_ you doing here? It's not like this was an old hangout in high school."

"I came with Alice, Rosalie, and Emmett. Do you know them?" I asked as I pointed to our table. They were all watching me interact with Jacob. When they saw me pointing at them, the smiled and waved nicely, then turned away, embarrassed at the fact I caught them watching.

"I know of them, but don't know them personally. I guess Emmett's all better from his attack, then?"

"Yeah, he just came back yesterday. Rose is really happy he's back. Or so Alice tells me. But honestly, who wouldn't be? He's nice and safe here, and she doesn't have to worry about him anymore."

"That's true." He was silent for a moment. "I better let you get back to your friends, but do you want to get together sometime and catch up some more? I hate that we lost contact when you left. We can just go get a coffee or something, if you want?"

"Sure," I smiled. "That'd be great." I repeated the numbers I had given Alice just a few days ago, and then proceeded to program his numbers into my phone. I gave him a hug as I left, and then returned to my chair with my three gaping friends.

"What was that about, Bella? Who is that?" Alice asked in an curious tone.

"That's Jacob. He was my very best friend before I moved away from Forks years ago. I knew it was him the second I saw his smile. We're going to get together for coffee or something so we can catch up."

"So you're going on a date with him?" She sounded somewhat dejected.

"No, nothing like that. It's never been like that with him. He was like my little brother when I was growing up."

"If it wasn't for Emmett, I'd go after him. He is one hunk of yummy man meat," Rose said.

"Thanks, babe," Emmett pouted.

"Oh, you know I'm happiest with you. Don't pretend like you don't know," she said as she nuzzled her nose into his neck. He grinned in response and kissed the top of her head lightly. The waitress came by with our check, and I started pulling out my money when Emmett gave his credit card to her. I held my money out to him, but he ignored me, pretending to scan the crowd and the room. I could hold out longer than he could, and he knew it.

"Bella, I'm not taking your money, so you might as well put it back in your purse right now. This is my treat."

"Then let me at least pay for the tip. Please?"

"I already put the tip on the card."

"Then let me give you money to cover it," I insisted.

"Bella, I'm not letting you pay. If you want to pay for anything, pay for the last drink that will cause my Rosie to become wasted tonight. It's bound to happen, so that's what will happen. Deal?"

"Fine," I huffed as I put my money away in my wallet. When the waitress came back with Emmett's card, he signed the slip, and we rose to go to the dance club part of the building. The darkness caused me to stumble as my eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the change in lighting. Once they did, I took in the room. The floor was large with bright squares and a huge DJ setup was located in the corner. The bar in here was different from the bar in the restaurant. In the restaurant, it was homier, being wooden and worn looking. The bar in this room was sleek and black, and the seats were clear with neon pink and green tubes running through them. The shelves of alcohol alternated the same colors. It was actually a very interesting sight.

Alice and Rose laughed and dragged me to the dance floor, with Emmett following behind us. The girls sandwiched me in between the two of them, Alice being in front of me, Rosalie behind, and Emmett came up behind her. I danced awkwardly between the two of them for a moment before getting used to the beat of the music and letting go. I put my hands on Alice's waist as we danced together. The crowd of people made me feel self-conscious, but I threw the feeling away and danced my heart out. After a while, I began to grow hot and I extracted myself from the two girls and signaled that I was going to get a drink. They nodded in understanding and I walked on wobbly legs to the bar, ordering four bottles of water, one for each of us.

The night stayed the same throughout. The four of us stuck together, not allowing anyone to even come near our dancing line. Rose and I stayed in the center, and since Emmett was dancing with us, all of the men in the club eyed us warily. They were obviously scared of his massive size. While I stuck with water as my choice of drink, the other three switched between water and alcohol. Once we left the club at one in the morning, Emmett was barely intoxicated, thanks to the fact he was huge, and he didn't drink as much as the other two. Rose was buzzed, but Alice, on the other hand, was completely sloshed.

"Bellaaaa. You so pwettyy. I luh you. Kish me," she said me as she grabbed my cheeks and made my face form into a fish face.

"Yes, Alice. I got it. Let's get you to the car, okay?" I supported her weight as she stumbled in her high heels to the car. Emmett was behind me, supporting Rose as she stumbled slightly.

"No, really. You're, like, perrrrfect. Hair so shiny," she said as she drew up her hand to stroke my hair. I grabbed her hand and put it down.

"Alice, let's go to the car. You can sleep it off," I said as I opened the door for her. I had to help her get into the car and buckle her seatbelt as her head lolled to the side. Emmett was helping Rose get into the car on the same side, but as she wasn't that drunk, he didn't need to help her as much. She was still sober enough to buckle her seatbelt and close her own door.

"Emmett, are you going to be sober enough to drive home when we get there?"

"Yeah, Bella, why?"

"I'll just stay over at Alice's tonight. I didn't know what to do about the two of you, though, since Rose won't be sober enough."

"I'll be fine, I promise." We pulled out onto the highway, and within 5 minutes, Emmett was lightly snoring in the back seat, along with Alice mumbling every now and then in her incoherence, which left me to listening to the music in the car quietly. The drive was a basic straight shot, so I found my way back to Alice's easy enough. We arrived in her driveway at around two fifteen in the morning. I was ready to drop my head on the steering wheel and just fall asleep there, but I knew it wasn't possible. I kept the car running as I got out and opened the door to wake Emmett up.

"Em," I said, trying to shake him away. He groaned softly in protest of waking up and started to push me away. "Emmett, come on. You have to wake up," I said more loudly this time. Again, he protested my words and actions. I decided to take matters more strongly into my own hands and decided to pinch a small section of his arm to wake him up. It certainly worked.

"What the hell, Bella? What was that for?" He cried out softly, still realizing the girls were asleep.

"We're back. I need to get Alice inside, and you need to drive the two of you guys back." I studied the weariness on his face. "Do you just want to crash here, or at my place? I don't know how far away you are from here. I live a few blocks away, so it wouldn't be that far of a drive for you."

"Nah, I'll get Rosie home in no time. Let me get Alice inside for you. I'll just put her on her bed and you can help her get ready or changed or whatever. Just wait out here with Rose while I do that." He walked around to the passenger side of the car to scoop Alice gently from the seat. He brought her inside and came out a minute later. He let Rose stay in the seat she was already situated in as he got into the driver's side door.

"Thanks for tonight, Bella. I had a lot of fun, and thanks for driving us back in the dead of night. I'm sure I'll see you around sooner or later. Goodnight," he said as he rolled the window back up so the cool night air didn't wake up Rose or make him cold. I waved to him as he backed out of the driveway and pulled away. I walked into Alice's house, locking the door behind me, and traveled to her room silently.

Emmett had laid her down on her bed on the left side. Alice had curled up into a fetal position on her side, looking extremely comfortable. I hated to wake her up, but I needed to get her out of her heels and dress and into at least a t-shirt.

"Alice, hon, let's get you ready for bed, okay?" She mumbled something I didn't quite catch in response. I sighed as I realized she wasn't going to be much help in my upcoming task. I pulled the sheet off of her, and then slipped her heels off, not caring where they belonged at the moment. I sat her up so I could pull the dress off of her much easier. She slumped forward in her sleepy state. I eventually got the dress off and put a large t-shirt that I assumed to be Jasper's that I found in one of the drawers in her room. Changing into a large t-shirt of my own, I walked toward the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

I woke up to sunshine in my face and Alice's arm slung over my chest. I grunted in response to get her off, but she didn't even budge. I threw her arm off of me, and rolled away from her. I looked at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it was nearly noon. How the little midget in the bed beside me was still asleep, I didn't know. I went downstairs to make her some food since I knew she would need something to help her with her hangover, along with aspirin and plenty of water. She trudged down as I was finishing making breakfast for her, groaning and rubbing her head gently. I smiled at her and handed her the aspirin and water. She looked at me gratefully before downing the pills and glass of water.

Sitting down at the table, she put her head on her crossed arms. I brought over a plate of bacon, toast, and scrambled eggs with cheese for her. She looked up at me, then down at the food, before groaning again and placing her head on her arms. She said something that I couldn't make out.

"Sorry, Alice, what was that?"

"I can't eat that shit. I'm about to puke my brains out. Why am I so hung over?"

"Eat it, Alice. It'll help your stomach. I promise. The reason you're so hung over is because you had about four beers and six shots last night. You're a very rude drunk, you know, when people try to stop you from drinking anymore. Then you turn all loving, and then you're sleepy. I could barely get you dressed last night. All you kept saying was how much you loved me and mumbling how you wanted me so much. By the way, Alice, I do not have a dick. That would be Jasper's job."

Alice groaned. "I don't want to eat, Bella. It won't help my stomach. How would you know? You said yourself before that you don't get drunk. You've only been drunk once, and you didn't even have a bad hangover."

"I was always the one to take care of my friends in college when they all got drunk. I learned the best fix to hangovers quickly. Trust me on this one. There's only one thing better, and you don't want to have that. It's a horrid drink that tastes terrible and has a terrible texture. I save that for the worst hangovers. You don't want to know what's in it, but it works wonders. Just eat the damn food. If it doesn't make you feel better, I will stay by you all day making sure you're okay when you throw up. Got it?" She nodded in response and tentatively took a bite of bacon. Her nose wrinkled in disgust and protest at having food in her mouth.

"I know it doesn't taste the best immediately, but just eat it. It'll help. What do you like in your coffee?"

"Two tablespoons of sugar and a lot of the caramel shit in there. Thank you so much, Bella. I'll make it up to you some day."

"Relax. It's really not that big of a deal. I've done it so many times that I can't even count. If you really want to help me, just help me get some more clothes for school. I have basics, of course, but I need to get a few more things. Besides, you're already taking me to the spa. Against my will, of course, but we're still going. You don't owe me anything. Just eat and feel better."

Alice finally took my advice and ate the food like I instructed her to do. She was more accepting of the hot mug of coffee I placed in front of her, drinking it like a madwoman. Once she was finished eating, I took her plate and washed it off before putting it in her dishwasher. She was nursing her second cup of coffee, but looking much better and awake now. She smiled gratefully at me when I turned to face her once again.

"Okay, okay. I believe you now. You are the hangover curer. I shall no longer doubt your abilities. You're magical. I feel… honestly, I feel amazing." Alice grimaced at me. "Only… we. I smell disgusting. Let me shower. Then we'll go to your place, we can get you ready for the spa today."

"You're still going? Even after your hangover?"

"Hell yes. Nothing better than a relaxing day at the spa. It'll be even better than your miracle worker. This way, not only is my head not pounding, but I'm also completely relaxed and prettified for when Jasper gets home tomorrow. When he comes home from camping smelling all woodsy and shit… well, let's just say that I have my way with him however the hell I want," she said as she winked at me.

"Thank you for over sharing. I really needed to know that little bit of information. I really wanted to know that you and Jasper are going to be up to. My life is now complete."

"Oh, come on, Bella. Don't be such a prude. We're going to become engaged soon. I know it. We've been together for years, and I love him with all of my heart. I can't even imagine being with someone else. It's not like our entire relationship is based on sex. We know each other inside and out. Of course we're going to have sex."

"I am not a prude! I just… don't want to hear about your shenanigans."

"That sucks. I'll be giving you all the dirty details," she said while winking at me. Before I could respond, she jumped up from her seat and ran to her bathroom. I heard the water start a few seconds later.

While she showered and dressed, I decided to clean up the mess I had made while making breakfast. She came downstairs half an hour later, dressed in black yoga pants, a white tank top, and a hot pink hoodie.

"No more dressing up, Alice? All worn out from last night?"

"No, silly Bella. I don't dress up for the spa. It's a place of relaxing. And these are expensive sweatpants and a designer sweatshirt, I'll have you know."

"Those are _not_ sweatpants. Sweatpants are like boys sweatpants, old and comfortable and ratty. You don't wear them outside. Those are, like, relaxed clothes."

She dismissed me with the wave of a hand. "Details, details. Let's go to your house and get you all ready." We made the five minute drive to my house separately. While I took a shower, Alice decided to set out "spa appropriate"- clothes for me. When I exited the bathroom, I found her sitting on my bed reading a magazine.

"Here. Put this on and I'll dry your hair when you're done," Alice said as she handed me gray leggings and an oversize black pullover hoodie. I pulled them on and sat down on a chair in my room to allow Alice to do as she pleased to my hair. I didn't see the point, especially since it would probably get messed up at the spa, but I went along with it. She didn't really do much to it, surprisingly. Instead of curling it, she just took the extra time to blow dry it straight. Once she was satisfied, she took my hand and led me downstairs.

"What, no makeup," I joked in half amazement.

"Nope. They're going to be giving you a facial there, so it'd be pretty useless. Now let's go!"

Every minute I spent with the girls at the spa proved to make my stress level, which had been rising every day due to the approach of school, decrease. The back massage I received was heavenly, the masseuse kneading out the knots and kinks throughout my back and neck. I left the room feeling much more relaxed. The facial I received made my face literally tingle, and, as cheesy as it sounds, I felt like my skin was glowing when the gunk was washed away. I was thankful Alice chose leggings instead of jeans for me to wear after my waxing was done. I was most certainly not prepared for the amount of pain that had brought forth. I was now sitting between Alice and Rose, who apparently had no hangover this morning, getting a manicure and pedicure, while Alice's mother, Esme, was sitting next to her. I was not prepared to meet her, but she was so warm and welcoming, I was happy that I had.

"So, Bella, I feel as though we haven't been able to talk much between all of our treatments. What made you come to Forks?" Esme asked as her nails were painted a delicate shade of pink.

"My father, Charlie, is the police chief. I wanted to be closer to him because I haven't had the closest relationship with him. I was also looking for a job, and Charlie told me Forks High was hiring. I applied, and they hired me," I shrugged.

"Oh, are you a teacher then?"

"Yes, ma'am. I teach Physics."

"Please, don't call me ma'am. Call me Esme," she smiled at me. "Jasper teaches at Forks, as well as my son, Edward."

"Alice told me that when I first met her. He coaches football there, too, right?" I asked Alice. I was desperate for someone else to jump in on this conversation. As much as I loved Esme's warm and welcoming attitude, I felt awkward being the only one talking while the other two girls listened in on our conversation.

"Yep. And Jasper coaches basketball as well," Alice said. Her nails were being painted in a French manicure.

"Emmett was Edward's assistant coach before he left for Iraq. I wonder if he'll be allowed to have that position back," Rose questioned aloud. Her nails, unlike the delicate colors of Alice and Esme, were being painted a deep, wine red color. I stared down at my nails, being colored a dark blue, while I waited for someone to respond.

"I'm sure Edward would be happy for Emmett to be back. He can always use the extra help. I don't think he was very happy with Laurent as his assistant coach, anyway. He's a nice guy, of course, but he doesn't know much about football like Edward and Emmett do," Esme explained.

"I'm sure Emmett would love that," Rose said as she smiled at her future aunt-in-law. I felt like I was intruding on family time, but I also felt so welcomed by the three women that I didn't give the thought another second.

The rest of our spa day was filled with happy chatter, followed by a quick mid-afternoon lunch in the diner. I didn't have much to eat, instead choosing to save my food for my dinner. After my spa day, as relaxing as it was, I was exhausted and didn't feel like cooking dinner for myself, no matter how simple it would be.

The rest of my weekend passed by uneventfully. I spent the holiday with Charlie at his house, eating burgers off the grill. He said that he enjoyed the potato salad and corn on the cob I had cooked for him, but I think he really just enjoyed the company he had for once. I spent the last day before school starting preparing myself for what was to come. The night was spent with me tossing and turning in bed, having restless sleep because of my nervousness. I had constant dreams of students behaving disrespectfully, somebody getting hurt in the classroom, and having such terrible teaching skills that I couldn't control the class in the least bit. I finally stopped fighting the fact that I wouldn't get much sleep and crawled out of bed to get myself ready for the first day of school. I laughed quietly as I realized my first day of teaching high school was fast becoming like my first day of high school every year when I was younger. The nerves, the bad dreams, and waking up early fast became a sort of annual ritual.

I spent more time in the shower than usual, making sure I was perfectly groomed and that every drop of shampoo and conditioner was rinsed out of my hair. After the shower, I dried my hair perfectly, just as Alice had done a few days before. Before deciding to curl my hair, I dressed so that it didn't become ruined. I slipped my skirt and shirt on, deciding to wait for the shoes. Then, finally, I curled my hair into big, loose curls before pulling it into a ponytail. I then expertly applied my light makeup to my face, picked up my shoes and bag, and traveled to my kitchen. As I ate my toast and scrambled eggs, my phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked after swallowing and answering the phone.

"Hey, Bells. Nervous about today?" I smiled as I heard Charlie's voice on the other side of the phone.

"Hey, Dad. Yes. I'm incredibly nervous. How'd you know?"

"Your mom's been telling me for years how nervous you got before the start of school every day. I figured that teaching your first day of school wouldn't be any different. Bells, listen to me. You'll do great, okay? Trust me. You're going to be a wonderful teacher. Today is the first day of school, so everyone will still be in the summer mood. It's more about getting to know your students, and most of the kids here are good kids. You have nothing to be nervous about."

"Thank you, Dad. I really appreciate it," I almost whispered into the phone. I did appreciate him saying that. More than he realized, at least. His words helped me calm down as I took big breaths.

"Just go in feeling positive."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I had to teach classes to officers in training a few years back. I know it's not exactly the same thing, but if you show nervousness, they'll eat you alive. Go in being positive and confident, and they won't give you shit."

"Thanks, Dad. I need to finish eating so I can get to the school on time, but I'll be sure to call you when the school day is over, alright?"

"Anytime you want is fine. I'll look forward to hearing your account of the day," he laughed. "Bye, Bells."

"Bye," I said as I smiled at my dad's easygoing nature. I finished my food, washed the dishes, and got in my truck to get a move on to the school.

The parking lot was mostly empty when I arrived. There were maybe five cars parked in the assigned spots we had been given. I pulled my rusty old truck into my parking spot, located in the second spot on the right side of the parking lot. Turning the car off, I sat in the seat taking deep breaths and attempting to calm my racing heart. Reaching over to the passenger side, I grabbed my bag that had all the papers I needed and my lunch. I was determined to spend lunch in the teacher's lounge, not in my classroom like I normally would have done. I exited the door carefully avoiding a puddle so as not to ruin my shoes. I closed the door with my hip and locked it closed. Slowly, I made my way to the school and out of the water covered parking lot. Waving hello to Mrs. Cope in the office, I made my way to my room. I unlocked the door and set my stuff on the desk, then walked to the whiteboard. I uncapped a fresh black Expo marker and wrote my name on the whiteboard in neat letters. After placing an overhead of instructions on the projector, I grabbed my lunch from my bag and walked to the teacher's lounge.

"Hey, Bella. I don't know if you remember me, but –" I heard Jasper's twang as I entered the room.

"Of course I do. You're Jasper, Alice's boyfriend."

"That I am," he smiled. "Are you ready for your first day?"

"I suppose. I'm extremely nervous, though. What if they don't like me?"

"You'll do fine, Bella. I know how you took care of Alice after the four of you went out the other night. I heard all about how my hangover cures will no longer work and that I need to take lessons from you."

"Ah, well. Sorry about that. All you have to do is get some food, especially greasy food, into that stomach of hers. Then she'll be fine. But if she has a really, and I mean _really_, bad hangover, call me. I have a recipe for this God-awful drink that cures it," I explained as I placed my labeled bag into the fridge. I heard the door open and close behind me.

"I'll be sure to do that. I'm glad you went out with Alice, Rose, and Emmett. I know that Alice had a great time. Rosalie can't stop talking about how nice and responsible you are. They also enjoyed the spa day with you and Esme very much."

"I had a really great time with them, too," I replied as I backed up from the fridge. Combined with my heels and not seeing where I was going, I inevitably tripped backward. I reached for a chair or a table to break my fall, but a pair of arms and a hard body beat me to it. I expected to hear Jasper's chuckle behind me, but was surprised when a different voice hit my ears instead.

"Are you okay there?" a soft, velvet voice wrapped around me. I gasped lightly at the warmth that instantly surrounded me once I heard the wonderful tones. Escaping from the grasp, I turned around and looked up to see bronze tinted hair and emerald green eyes. No, those simple words were not enough to describe the angelic sight upon which I gazed. His hair was an unruly mess, but still looked like it was perfectly in place. The bright, twinkling eyes that were like a forest with the myriad of greens crinkled as the inhumanly beautiful man before me smiled. My gaze dropped lower to his jaw, sprinkled with scruff, and I had a sudden urge to run my nose along it, followed by licking it. The Adam's apple in his throat bobbed up and down as he swallowed. My eyes traveled lower still, taking in his form.

His torso was covered by a white t-shirt, covered by a dark blue button up shirt with light blue skinny stripes covering it. I swallowed as I saw the sight before me. The sleeves were casually rolled up above his elbows. Oh, God, his forearms. They were toned and muscular and the most perfect forearms I had ever seen. My gaze traveled lower, seeing a brown belt on his hips. His legs were covered in khaki slacks, his feet being covered by brown shoes. This sight before me left me completely breathless.

"I-I'm fine," I replied, somehow finding my voice.

"Are you sure?" the wonderful velvet tones asked me, escaping from the most perfect set of lips imaginable. They were formed in a heart-stopping side smile. Once again, I felt as if all the breath had escaped from my lungs.

"I'm very sure," I said as I smiled shyly. I glanced over at Jasper, who was watching us with an amused expression on his face.

"Well, that's good. I was beginning to think that when I caught you, I had squeezed your body too hard. You weren't speaking there for a while," he said, smirking once again. This man knew exactly what my reaction had been once I set my eyes on him.

"No, I'm fine. Really. Thank you for catching, me, though."

"It's no problem… Bella, was it?"

"Yes," I said, smiling shyly once again. I could feel the blush spreading through my face. I only hoped that my face wasn't too red.

"Well, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Edward Cullen."

**Once again, so sorry for the majorly long wait I put you guys through! I swear it won't happen again.**

**Many thanks to my Ed-itor, whose name happens to be… Edward (no lie). He makes some of my silly mistakes fixed. Hooray! :)**

**Read, review, love, tell me what sucks, tell me what you like, and all that jazz,**

**Rachel**


	7. Apology

**I am so, so, so sorry. I really have no excuse for this nearly year-long wait. College kept me much busier than I expected, especially since I found myself going out and being social with friends and my lovely boyfriend. I'll be done in just a few days, though, so hopefully I write this summer. Again, I apologize massively. I'll try my best to actually write. On top of becoming busy, I kind of lost where I was going with this story and had to recollect myself.**

**I still have to recollect myself on some things so this can seem realistic and not like it's moving too fast. I'm home now from college so I should have more time to write. I can't promise a set schedule, like I was going to try to do. Like I said, I'm recollecting myself. I think the next chapter is about halfway done. I don't know where it's going to go completely.**

**I'm so sorry, again. Please forgive me. Don't review to this chapter, because I will take down this A/N soon so I can put up the new chapter when it's done. :]**


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